DURHAM, N.C. – Longwood men's basketball ended the pre-holiday portion of its on a high note on Friday night at North Carolina Central.
 
Colby Garland led a balanced Longwood attack that executed throughout the night, and the Lancers (11-3) eased past NC Central (6-9) 82-67 for the team's second straight road win prior to a break for the holidays.
 
Garland paced the team with 17 points, but Michael Christmas (14 points), Elijah Tucker (13) and Kyrell Luc (12) also finished in double figures while KJ McClurg and Angelo Brizzi added nine and eight points respectively.
 
The Lancers scored from everywhere on the court and shot better than 50 percent from the floor to give North Carolina Central only its sixth home non-conference loss since 2016.

"Another great outing by the Lancers tonight," said Longwood Head Coach Griff Aldrich. "We got great contributions from so many players. We have been working to play more and more connected, and this team has really taken positive steps this week! While the group is ready for a well-deserved break to enjoy Christmas, I know this group is excited about the trajectory it's on and our potential!"
 
Longwood's defense set the tone early, holding NCCU scoreless for the first 2:30 of the game and to 10 points through the first 10 minutes of the game.
 
Meanwhile, Garland, who also had a team-best four assists, guided the Longwood attack that started to get warm midway through the first half. The sophomore sank a layup to start a 12-3 run that turned a three-point Lancer advantage to a 20-8 lead with 11:10 to go in the half on a Brizzi deuce.
 
Po'Boigh King (21 points) and Keishon Porter (10 points) helped NC Central pull back within five in the waning minutes of the half, but Tucker scored four straight points for Longwood to stem the tide.
 
The Lancers led 36-27 at the half, marking the second straight game where they have held their opposition to fewer than 30 points in the first half.
 
After halftime, Longwood quickly pushed the lead back to double digits. NCCU closed to within six, but Longwood responded immediately.
 
Johan Nziemi muscled in a layup, and the Lancers were off on an 18-4 run over the next five minutes. Christmas drained one of his four threes on the night to start a stretch that saw Longwood hit three triples in four possessions, and the lead grew to 61-41 with 10:59 to play.
 
Garland then made sure it stayed that way. Every time King and Porter led NCCU on a rally, Garland was seemingly involved in the answer. He scored 10 of his 17 points in the final eight minutes to close out the game.
 
Longwood will take a break for the holiday before resuming the road trip with a matchup in Dallas at SMU on Sunday, December 29. The game tips at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, and it will air on ACCNX.
 
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